Anna Blinkova’s victory at the Jiangxi Open on Sunday wasn’t just a warning sign for her fellow competitors on the Hologic WTA Tour, but to the tennis circuit’s translators as well.
Blinkova has been addressing the Chinese crowd in their native language all week — and after defeating 17-year-old wild card Lilli Tagger 6-3, 6-3 in the final, she adeptly handled her own translation duties in both the trophy ceremony and her post-match press conference. Switching between English and Mandarin with ease, she required only a few pointers from the tournament’s translator.
Jiujiang: Scores | Draws | Order of play
The Jiujiang title — the second of Blinkova’s career, following Cluj-Napoca 2022 — marks the fulfilment of both a tennis goal and a language goal for the 27-year-old. As the Asian swing began in September, she told Bounces that she hoped to get the opportunity to give a interview in Mandarin, a language she has been learning since 2018 and which she felt was now up to the task of her media duties.
Blinkova’s results didn’t initially pan out, though. She fell in the Beijing first round, then in Wuhan and Guangzhou qualifying. In Jiujiang, however, the World No. 95 came through the draw without losing a set.
“I left home on September 8,” she said. “I played so many tournaments and I lost in the first or second round, but I kept working hard every day, practising every day and believing I could still make a good result, even in the last tournament of the season. And I did it!”
Blinkova needed all of her self-belief to hold off Tagger, the teenage sensation who has made a spectacular WTA main-draw debut this week. The Austrian has wowed fans with her tennis in Jiujiang, not least a single-handed backhand reminiscent of the great Justine Henin. That shot was on full display early on, as Tagger unleashed a series of gorgeous down-the-line winners from that wing.
Hot shots: Lilli Tagger’s five best one-handed backhands in Jiujiang
After an opening stretch of four consecutive breaks, Tagger seemed to gain the upper hand after battling through eight deuces, saving four break points, to seal the first hold of the match for a 3-2 lead. But instead, it was Blinkova who elevated her level after that marathon tussle, responding with a run of five straight games to lead 1-0 in the second set. Her own backhand was also proving efficient — and she was increasingly able to steer traffic away from the Tagger signature shot.
“Her backhand was rock solid, but at some points I felt she started missing with her forehand,” Blinkova explained. “So I played a bit more to her forehand in the important moments. I also put a lot of pressure with my return — I was just a bit more aggressive and solid at the same time.
“I think she’s a really great player for her age. She really pushed my limits today, and I had to play my best tennis to beat her.”
Huang Jinwen/WTA
Gleason, Pridankina take doubles title; Webley-Smith breaks through after 26 years
No. 3 seeds Quinn Gleason and Elena Pridankina lifted the doubles trophy after edging Ekaterina Ovcharenko and Emily Webley-Smith 6-4, 2-6, [10-6] in the final. It was a second career WTA doubles title for Gleason (following Merida 2024 alongside Ingrid Martins), and a first for Pridankina.
Ovcharenko and Webley-Smith were both contesting a WTA final for the first time — a particularly remarkable breakthrough for 41-year-old Webley-Smith. The Briton played her first professional match in 1999 and has won 27 ITF doubles titles. She reached her singles career high of No. 240 of No. 240 in 2011, and her doubles career high of No. 113 in 2015. This week, Webley-Smith delivered a career-best tournament that’s been 26 years in the making.